Talk:AFOH/@comment-14850713-20151018170726/@comment-27015223-20151026213231
IC: On the 1MEB's front: The battle rages as the Millenium forces grind their way through the AFOH phalanx of fire. The 1MEB focuses their fire away from the tough Leopard 3s and onto the vulnerable Puma IFVs and their loads of infantry, causing disproportionate casualties to the Millenium foot soldiers. The AFOH vehicles holding the entrenchments start getting overwhelmed despite massive firepower and air and artillery fire support. Colonel Bennings finally orders the vehicles of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions to pull back into the city. The Pegasus IFVs and Helios SPADs of the infantry companies are first to pull back and rejoin their dismounted troopers. They take ambush positions in alleyways and behind walls while the infantry are already in ambush positions with machine guns, ATGMs, and RPGs trained on prepared killzones on every entrance and major street through Wabag. The Thunderbolt MCs are next, and they pull back completely behind the lines then zero in on the prepared killzones, ready to provide fire support to the killzones. The Griffin TD/LTs are last, and once again bear the brunt of the Millenium forces' firepower, taking heavy casualties as they withdraw behind the defensive lines. Only half of the brigade's Griffins remain, but they join forces with the Recon Squadron and prepare for a counter-attack safe behind the reserve brigade of SAU infantry. Meanwhile the 1MEB's elite troopers prove superior to the Millenium's mechanized infantry, but the large numbers of enemies prevents them from launching a successful counter-attack. As the Millenium Leopards and Pumas reach the entrenchments, a massive series of explosions rolls across the lines. IEDs rigged by the 1MEB with clusters of 150mm artillery shells destroy relatively few vehicles, but those they do are utterly obliterated. Despite the small amount of damaged done, the totallity of the destruction of each vehicle combined with the massive scale of the explosions makes a huge psychological impact on the Millenium forces advancing to enter Wabag. They'd gone through hell to get this far, and now a sense of dread fell over them as they rolled closer to the buildings of Wabag, especially as much of their infantry was taken out during the assault. Suddenly, all their worries are forgotten as the scream of jet engines fills the skies above. Hundreds of Diables and Griffons launch an air strike operation more intense than any so far. It is an intense effort not just from TF Defiant, but from other surrounding air bases to help the hard-pressed 1MEB hold Wabag, and would be a unbroken stream of bombs and missiles raining from the sky over the course of the battle as wave after wave of aircraft stacked at 1000 ft intervals dropped their payloads, returned to base, then came back out again. The Millenium forces scramble get closer to the 1MEB in hopes that the close proximity will prevent the AFOH aircraft from bombing them. On the SAU 5ID's 1st Brigade's front (South): 1st Brigade is being steadily driven back as Millenium armor pushes forward, but constant artillery support from 1MEB, brigade, and divisional assets prevents an utter collapse. Their sole mission is to keep the 1MEB's flank secure, but they are in danger of failing in this regard. The front line of the 1st Brigade becomes blurred as the infantry intermix with the Millenium forces and engage in a chaotic, brutal close range melee. The Leopards and Pumas, as well as their advantage of surprise give the Millenium forces an edge in the fight, and 1st Brigade's defeat seems inevitable. On the SAU 5ID's 2nd Brigade's front (North): 2nd Brigade's commander, Colonel Botha receives 1st Brigade's contact report with despair, but the intermixed chaos of the fight going on over there gives him an idea. His job isn't to completely stop the enemy, but merely to delay and weaken them enough so that the 1MEB could hold. He orders all his infantry to unload their weapons and completely conceal their foxholes with foilage. He then orders his battalion commanders to remain hidden and not engage the enemy until they're right on top of or even past their positions, after which they are to tangle the enemy and themselves in a brutal wrestling match to the death. SAU 5ID's 3rd Brigade in reserve remains unengaged. 1MEB's Recon Squadron and 6 understrength tank companies rearms and refuels behind their lines. AFOH aircraft are constantly roaring overhead, pounding the Millenium ground forces.